NCJ Number
215527
Date Published
July 2006
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This paper identifies the emergency preparedness problems for victims of violent crime and associated trauma in the context of the effects of Hurricane Katrina.
Abstract
Among the recommendations for addressing these problems is the creation of a uniform, well-publicized, and clear protocol for crime reporting during disasters or emergencies, as well as the creation of a data and evidence preservation toolkit that will help jurisdictions protect the integrity of criminal cases under disaster scenarios. Further, criminal justice agencies across jurisdictions must have established systems of communication and cooperation that will facilitate the reporting of crimes and receiving of victim services by evacuees who were criminally victimized prior to their evacuation. One of these problems was the absence of safety, security, and a process for reporting crimes at shelters for hurricane survivors. Overcrowding, lawlessness, the breakdown of social and health services, and a lack of law enforcement personnel contributed to these problems. A second problem that undermined an appropriate response to hurricane-related crime was the displacement of victims from the jurisdiction in which the crime occurred. This circumstance increased victims' difficulty in reporting the crime, launching an investigation in the jurisdiction of the crime, and accessing victim assistance and compensation services. This problem was aggravated by the lack of a national crime reporting system that can take over when a system of local crime reporting is weakened by a disaster. Other problems included the loss of evidence and information in cases pending when the hurricane hit, the lack of a system for managing the relocation of registered sex offenders, and poor planning and communication among government agencies and service providers at all levels regarding the prevention and response to violent crime during and after a disaster. 7 references